Girl suspended from school for playing with a stick

By Felicity Nethery| 3 years ago

Image: ABC11 Twitter page

A five-year-old girl has been suspended from school after playing with a stick that looked like a gun.

While playing "King and Queen" with her two best friends in the playground of a North Carolina school, kindergarten student Caitlin Miller picked up the ‘stick gun’ and as she says pretended to shoot an intruder into the ‘kingdom.’

Caitlin’s mother Brandy Miller, was horrified when her five-year-old little girl came home with a suspension note from her school which said Caitlin’s shooting motions ‘were a violation of school policy’

“One minute she’s playing with her friends and the next her teachers are dragging her to the principal’s office, she’s confused, nobody explained anything to her.” Ms Miller told America’s abc news

While Ms Miller said the one day suspension was outrageous, the Hoke County school told abc news that the punishment fits and they would “not tolerate assaults, threat or harassment from any student.”

School officials added that by maintaining a “zero tolerance policy” they hoped to ensure that “every child had a safe learning environment” and for the school Caitlyn’s ‘stick gun’ and her threats to kill fellow students violated that policy.

For Ms Miller trying to interoperate the school’s ruling was difficult.

“We know why it’s bad, we watch the news, but then I have to tell my kid, ‘you’re not allowed to play like that in school because people do bad things to kids your age.”

Caitlin’s mother said that after Caitlin returned to school this week from her suspension she was alienated by her friends and teachers over the incident.

Ms Miller is now demanding the school apologise.

“I just want them to apologise to her and tell her that it’s ok you can be five and have an imagination.”